Women, Blacks Give Obama 9 - Point Lead Over McCain, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Men Are Split And Whites Tip To Republican  —  With commanding leads among women and young voters and near unanimous support from black voters, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama has a 50 …

Obama purges Web critique of surge  —  WASHINGTON - Barack Obama's campaign scrubbed his presidential Web site over the weekend to remove criticism of the U.S. troop “surge” in Iraq, the Daily News has learned.  —  The presumed Democratic nominee replaced his Iraq issue Web page …

McCain Will Call for a Surge of Troops to Afghanistan  —  WASHINGTON — Senator McCain will announce plans today for an Iraq-style “surge” of troops in Afghanistan.  —  An adviser to the campaign told The New York Sun that, in a speech to be delivered in Albuquerque, N.M. …

Want Obama in a Punch Line?  First, Find a Joke  —  What's so funny about Barack Obama?  Apparently not very much, at least not yet.  —  On Monday, The New Yorker magazine tried dipping its toe into broad satire involving Senator Obama with a cover image depicting the presumptive Democratic …

Tillman Investigation Hampered by ‘Near Universal Lack of Recall’  —  Report Sought Answers on Who Knew About Friendly Fire Incident  —  White House officials interviewed as part of an investigation into the misleading information given to the public and the Tillman family in the weeks …

At the Uneasy Intersection of Bloggers and the Law  —  There is no better way to get a blogger talking than by telling him what he cannot publish — although you might forgive a government prosecutor for thinking otherwise.  —  A grand jury subpoena sent by prosecutors in the Bronx earlier …

A Challenge From the Obama Generation  —  A 21-year incumbent and an icon of the civil rights movement, Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), is racing around his Atlanta district like a first-time candidate.  —  He has appeared at six or seven churches every Sunday, posed for cameras as he mowed …

Hill Democrats miffed at Obama  —  After a brief bout of Obamamania, some Capitol Hill Democrats have begun to complain privately that Barack Obama's presidential campaign is insular, uncooperative and inattentive to their hopes for a broad Democratic victory in November.

Heedless Rush to Oil Shale  —  To hear Bush touting Western oil shale as the answer to $4 per gallon gasoline, as he did again yesterday in the Rose Garden, you would think it was 1908 . . . or 1920 . . . or 1945 . . . or 1974.  Every couple of decades over the past century …

Dollar Falls to Record Versus Euro; Credit Woes May Damp Growth  —  The dollar declined to a record low against the euro on speculation Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson will say credit- market losses are hurting U.S. economic growth.

A New Frontier for Title IX: Science  —  Until recently, the impact of Title IX, the law forbidding sexual discrimination in education, has been limited mostly to sports.  But now, under pressure from Congress, some federal agencies have quietly picked a new target: science.

Will the ‘Dream Act’ be a nightmare for McCain?  —  John McCain, recognizing the importance of Latino voters in the upcoming election, spoke to the National Council of La Raza yesterday.  He told the audience, “I do ask for your trust,” adding, “I think I have earned that trust.”

District Gun Bill Goes to Council  —  Officials Anticipate More Legal Action On Weapon Types  —  Within weeks, District residents could legally keep handguns in their homes under emergency legislation that goes to the D.C. Council today, as officials try to comply with the Supreme Court ruling rejecting the city's handgun ban.